Dana de Waal

Dana de Waal’s range of Concert material includes Classical Opera, Light Classical, Romantic Chanson & songs of Africa

He performs either as a Soloist or as a Duo with his wife Anne de Waal on Piano

Dana de Waal’s startlingly agile voice and breathtaking vocal control have thrilled audiences internationally.

From Southern Africa, to the UK & European countries of Austria, Germany, Czech Republic and Holland audiences, have been excited by Dana’s multi lingual vocal mastery, that goes hand in hand with an emotional high ride that is at once exhausting, mesmerising and yet, leaves one wanting for more!

His depth of understanding and feeling for the music that he sings leaves the listener exhilarated. Whether it be music from the African soil of his birth, or songs from the European cultures of his ancestors, audiences are swept onto different planes of experience when listening to this magician of music.

He sings favourites old and new, as well as his own compositions in a way that leaves one thinking that you have never heard it “quite like that” before!

‘Seasons of the Voice’
Presents
Dana and Anne de Waal

Dana and Anne together are a formidable husband and wife team - based in the UK - who give vent in ‘Seasons of the Voice’ to their deep understanding of the music that spans their emotive experience of growing up with African rhythms, combined with a classical music training of theirs European forbears, which all come together in a show that provides a universal language of rhythm and sound

In the show, ‘Seasons of the Voice’, Dana and his wife Anne perform music which displays both the vocal mastery and pianist skills of the artists respectively. Their music is filled with sound of Africa with her harsh climate, her majestic mountains, the lone landscape with exciting colours; Africa with her diverse peoples with their controversial history – all of this is performed within a classical framework that rests upon the heritage of both European and African song. The music realises both the European ancestry of the artists and illuminates their passion for the land of their birth; Africa.

Together as an ensemble they spark flames of African magic when they appear together on stage.

Contact:

E-mail: info@danadewaal.com

UK: Mobile: 0798 181 3891

Current UK Recordings

‘Seasons of the Voice’: Dana de Waal solo CD of songs

Dana de Waal and the Fishpond Choir: Dana de Waal and the Fishpond Choir
from Matlock Bath, Derbyshire, England
Ave for Aid: Dana de Waal accompanied by Anne de Waal on the
Organ: single CD of Ave Maria by Franz Schubert
I believe in Music: Dana de Waal and the Randburg male Voice Choir from the
Republic of South Africa
Alpha & Omega: Dana de Waal and the Randburg male Voice Choir from the
Republic of South Africa
This is my song: Dana de Waal and the Randburg male Voice Choir from the
Republic of South Africa

General Information

Dana de Waal hails from the Republic of South Africa where he sang extensively in both the serious and light music fields. He has enthralled audiences as far a field as the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany. In the UK he has mesmerised audiences with his vocal mastery.

He has worked as educator and as voice teacher and coach. Choir work formed a large part of his output. In 1997 he obtained the M Mus degree cum laude.

Weeks before leaving South Africa, he received a special award in recognition of his life-long services to the arts and education as composer, teacher, singer and choirmaster.

The great South African Afrikaans folk poet Ronnie Belcher once said of Luciano Pavarotti that he was the Dana de Waal of Italy!

Studies

* Obtained: B Mus degree
Higher Diploma in Education
B Mus Honours [cum laude]
M Mus [also cum laude]

* His vocal mentors were some of the greatest teachers in South Africa, Germany and the United Kingdom. He studied long term, short term and had master classes from the following eminent vocal practitioners:

Prof George van der Spuy [South Africa: University of Stellenbosch]
Me Sarie Lamprecht [Johannesburg, South Africa]
Prof Erik Werba [Germany; in Johannesburg, South Africa]
Prof Hanno Blaschke [Hochshule fur Musik, Munich; in Potchefstroom, South Africa]
John Bacon [London, United Kingdom]
Dr Jane Mansfield [United Kingdom, in Roodepoort, S.A.]
Richard Roddis [Nottingham, United Kingdom]

* Research towards his Master’s degree [during 1991] in the UK was made possible with grants from the Ernest Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Fund of Anglo American and the Haggie Trust Fund.

* Important dates in the development of Dana’s career:
1980: Best singer: countrywide FORTÉ competition
Overall Winner: countrywide FORTÉ competition
1984: Best singer: countrywide CRESCENDO competition
1988: Best Afrikaans Composition: countrywide CRESCENDO
competition
1990: Finalist: SABC Music Prize Competition
1991: ARTES [South African Radio ‘Oscar’] award nomination
1993: ARTES [South African Radio ‘Oscar’] award nomination;
this time with Dianne Coutts, the pianist with whom he
recorded all his programmes for the radio
1995: Served on the adjudicators panel of the SABC Music
Prize Competition
1996 - 2001 :
Serves on the music examiners panel of the University of
South Africa

Conductors

Dana de Waal sang under the baton of several South African and other international conductors during the years that he worked only in the more ‘serious’ music art forms: [alphabetically:]
Gerry Bosman, Richard Cock, Dr. Edgar Cree, Weiss Doubell, Franco Ferraris, Enrique Garcia-Ascencio, Gerhard Geist, Walter Mony, Simon Preston,
Xander Sander & David Tidboald.

Musical Director

* He was choir master and conductor of the Randburg Male Voice Choir. They have made three CD’s; I believe in Music,
Alpha & Omega
This is my song
These were all with Dana de Waal as soloist.

* In 1997 Dana and the Choir undertook a highly successful tour of the
Czech Republic, Austria and Germany.

* He directed the Canto Uno choir of Capitol One in Nottingham.

* He directed the Radcliffe Ladies Choir in Nottingham.

* He was the Music Group Leader at St Peter’s in Derby.

* Dana de Waal directed the following musical shows:
‘S Wonderful, ‘S Marvellous, ‘Gershwin
Off Off Grahamstown
Bravo Piaf
Oliver
The Johannesburg Vocal Ensemble

Composer

* As composer and arranger Dana de Waal keeps himself busy with arrangements and adaptations for various choirs and instrumental ensembles.

* His own “Missa Persoula” was greeted with a standing ovation as early as
1989 in the Linder Auditorium in Johannesburg.

* The first broadcast of one of his own compostitions, “Three Songs of
Christ” was broadcast in 1990 by the South African Broadcasting
Corporation.

* In 1998 Dana’s first solo CD, Seasons of the Voice was released. On this CD Dana sings music which brings the art of singing closer to an audience whose taste in music excludes the more ‘serious’ music art forms. He arranged all the music for release of this CD.

* He taught composition at the National School for the Arts and the Randburg High School Choir sang under his baton.

* He served for one year as composer-in-residence at St Benedict’s Performing Arts College in Darley Abbey, Derby.

* The following is a list of Dana’s compositions that have been performed:

2003 Song for Praise Project sung by 2,000 pupils: Leicester, Staffordshire,
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire

2001 “Mass” performed by Cantus Benedictus [Senior Student Vocal Ensemble] in the Robert Ludlum Theatre, Derby

2001 “Mass for the other Rock” [“Missa Petrus”], performed by the Randburg Male Voice Choir and the Northcliff Primary School Choir: Randburg, Gauteng, Rep. of South Africa

2000 “Sewe Kruiswoorde” [”Seven Words on the Cross”] by Dana de Waal performed by the Randburg Male Voice Choir in various auditoriums and churches

1998 Christmas Production [without name] in the Linder Auditorium, Johannesburg, with the Randburg Male Voice Choir and soloists with music composed by Dana de Waal

1998 Randburg Male Voice Choir performs “Kyrie” [for male voices and boy soprano solo] by Dana de Waal

1996 Northcliff Primary School performs “The Snow Queen” with incidental music and songs composed by Dana de Waal

1994 National School of the Arts Vocal Ensemble performs première of “Missa Amicorum Iuvenalium” by Dana de Waal

1994 Northcliff Primary School Choir performs songs written for them by Dana
de Waal

1993 Northcliff Primary School Choir performs songs written for them by Dana de Waal

1990 Broadcasts as tenor soloist own composition “Drie Liedere van Christus” [”Three Songs of Christ”] for the South African Broadcasting Corporation

1989 Musical direction of “Give me Words” [a revue] in the Space Frame Theatre composed to be performed as part of the 80th birthday celebrations of the Johannesburg College of Education

1989 Performs “Missa Persoula” with the Johannesburg College of Education Choir as part of the 80th birthday celebrations of the Johannesburg College of Education

1988 Musical direction of “It’s a Man’s World” [a musical] composed for students of the Johannesburg College of Education to be performed in the Space Frame Theatre

1988 Performs “Job” [a biblical “pop” cantata] with the Johannesburg College of Education Choir as part of the 150th birthday celebrations of the city of Potchefstroom

1986 Performs “Die Roos” [“The Rose” - an aleatoric composition for voices and instruments] as part of the 25th birthday celebrations of the Goudstad College of Education

1985 “Vier Miniature” [“Four Miniatures”] to texts by South African poetess Antjie Krog first performed in the Linder Auditorium, Johannesburg

1984 Perform “David” [a biblical “pop” cantata] composed for the choir of the Johannesburg College of Education to be performed during the opening celebrations of the Space Frame Theatre [Recorded by the South African Broadcasting Corporation]

Teacher

* Dana lectured and taught at the Universities of the Witwatersrand and Pretoria.

* He was also Vocal Coach/Repetiteur at the Opera School of the Pretoria
University for Technology

* He was Associate Head of Department; Music of the Johannesburg College of Education.

* He was official accompanist at the University of Stellenbosch, in the Western Cape region of the Republic of South Africa.

* He taught composition at the National School for the Arts and the Randburg High School Choir sang under his baton.

* He served for one year as composer-in-residence at St Benedict’s Performing Arts College in Darley Abbey, Derby.

* Dana headed the Music Department at the Djanogly City Academy in Nottingham.